Biblical motives in crime.
What is the role of the Gospel story about the resurrection of Lazarus in understanding the idea of Dostoevsky’s novel “Crime and Punishment”?
This plot in the novel takes place in part 4, chapter 4 on the 4th day after the murder, while in the Gospel it is also in the 4th volume. After such a coincidence of numbers, it becomes obvious that this plot is clearly not accidental, especially since Dostoevsky generally does not give anything away for nothing.
While reading this episode, the atmosphere of madness thickened. All this forced Rodion Raskolnikov to throw a phrase in Sonya’s face about the goal of destroying, crushing, gaining power... two mutually exclusive traits merge in Raskolnikov: kindness and pride, so Sonechka and Polechka evoke tenderness and contempt in him.
Also, the desire to take power and destroy everything around awakens in him. The resurrection of Lazarus did not become a miracle for Raskolnikov, it did not become his “resurrection.” He thought that some kind of breakthrough should happen, but nothing... a simple breakdown occurred (that’s why the monologue about power was called out).
This shows that Raskolnikov’s path to a miracle is long and thorny (first repentance in the square, which gave him nothing, then with the investigator, and then in hard labor).
Under his pillow he found the very book (already in hard labor) from which this passage was read to him... he reads it again... this turning point finally occurs in his soul, and he is “resurrected.” The path of repentance is the only correct path that a person can follow, according to Dostoevsky.
“I didn’t kill the old lady, I killed myself,” says Rodion. But the path to this resurrection will be long. This is the role of these two episodes with the mention of the biblical story of the resurrection of Lazarus.
Biblical motifs in the novel by F.M. Dostoevsky "Crime and Punishment".
Topic: Biblical motifs in the novel by F.M. Dostoevsky "Crime and Punishment".
Goals:
in debunking Raskolnikov's theory;
in understanding the images of heroes;
analyze the novel “Crime and Punishment” through the prism of Holy Scripture;
show what role biblical motifs play in revealing the overall concept of the work:
develop the ability to select from a novel and correlate with biblical verses, drawing certain conclusions;
to form a humanistic worldview of students;
create an emotional mood that allows each student to openly express their point of view;
to cultivate moral and moral qualities through the spiritual perception of the heroes of the novel.
Equipment:
Portrait of F.M. Dostoevsky V.G. Perova;
“Christ in a sheet” I.N. Kramskoy;
Painting by I. Glazunov “In the warehouse”;
Roman F.M. Dostoevsky "Crime and Punishment";
Bible;
Slide show;
Eidos - outline;
Case – summary;
Illustrations for the novel in each “case” for comparison with the biblical illustration on the slide.
Lesson type: lesson - research.
Method: partly - search.
Epigraph:
“To humanize the gospel teaching is the most noble and completely timely task.”
N.S. Leskov
Progress of the lesson.
Teacher:
“Crime and Punishment”... The novel has been read, but the fireworks of thoughts do not allow me to calm down. Yes, Dostoevsky’s novel is some kind of whirlwind of events, confessions, scandals, murders. A grain of sand taken from a tornado is insignificant. In a tornado he is knocked off his feet. And the problems raised by the writer in the novel are far from being grains of sand: responsibility before God for your life and the lives of those around you, life and death, good and evil, faith and unbelief. And collected together, they, like a tornado, explode our consciousness, awaken our conscience, appeal to reason, convey to everyone the Christian idea, the idea of salvation and true love.
Today we have an unusual lesson. Instead of reporting and analysis, we will seek the truth. Truth, as we know, is born in dispute. But!.. It is also in the Bible. “Your word is truth,” said Jesus Christ, turning to God. (John 17:17)
Let's try, with the help of the Bible, to better understand the meaning of the novel and the significance of the problems raised in it. It was the Bible that Dostoevsky considered “the book of humanity.” This thought is the epigraph of the lesson: “To humanize the gospel teaching is the most noble and completely timely task” N.S. Leskov.
independent work with critical literature
analysis of specific situations;
brainstorming;
discussion.
But before proceeding to the study, consider two pictures:
portrait of F.M. Dostoevsky by artist V.G. Perova;
“Christ in the Desert” by I.N. Kramskoy.
Student:(the teacher also takes part in the description of the portraits)
Look carefully at the painting by I.N. Kramskoy “Christ in the Desert”, 1872. Christ, having been baptized and hearing the voice of God from heaven about his messianic purpose on earth, goes into the desert and there for 40 days, without food, remains in complete solitude. He reflects on his purpose - to save humanity from sin and death.
Teacher:
What do you think is the semantic center in the picture?
The hands of Jesus are clenched painfully, as if He is trying to bind together the world, earth and heaven.
Before us is a drama: the transformation of a person into a messenger of God, who must suffer for people.
Student:
Now look at the portrait of F.M. Dostoevsky, written by V.G. Perov. What do these two seemingly different paintings have in common? Hands! In Dostoevsky they are also compressed. To the point of pain. The same concentrated look. And there is pain for everyone, a desire to save. And he sees salvation in the spiritual rebirth of man. So, we see, looking at the portraits, that Jesus Christ and Dostoevsky have one goal - to save humanity.
Teacher:
Guys, I’m afraid to divert your attention from the novel, but, nevertheless, I want to show you another painting by I. Glazunov, “In the Warehouse.” Old abandoned church. On the left wall is a fresco depicting Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. In front of the fresco, in the center of the picture, there is a huge stump and an ax stuck into it for chopping meat - an executioner's ax. And on the right hangs a butchered, bloody carcass of an animal. The temple is turning into a meat warehouse, how scary! It’s even worse when the temple of the soul turns into a warehouse. This is incompatible: the temple of the soul, the ax and blood (you feel a connection with the novel). This should not happen, warns the author of the picture. It shouldn’t be, Dostoevsky pleads. It shouldn't be, but it was...
To recover from the shock after seeing I. Glazunov’s painting, let’s listen to music and talk about what we will do in class.
We work using the case study method (the guys are familiar with his technology:
independent work with critical literature;
analysis of specific situations;
brainstorming;
discussion;
result).
By the end of the lesson, we must find out whether murder can be justified in any way? To answer this question we will take into account personal opinion , author's opinion, Bible point of view (because the Bible is true) and Criminal Code of Ukraine .
You will express your personal opinion by answering the questions in the questionnaire:
Yes;
No;
I find it difficult to answer.
Is it possible to justify killing someone?
Everyone has a questionnaire sheet. The assistant will calculate the results.
In each group, select:
coordinator (work organizer);
secretary (distributes case materials, records results);
rhetorician (announces the results of the study).
With more students there may be more “roles” in the group.
The teacher gives a general task to the students:
who is this?
how did you determine?
Write the character's name on the back of the illustration.
The case contains an illustration depicting one of the characters from the novel.
From package No. 1, take out the printed name of the hero. Did it match yours? Paste it in the lower right corner of the illustration.
Packet No. 2 contains questions for discussion. Once you get them, get to work. In case of difficulty, open the 3rd package: there is a set of “documents” - critical, additional literature that will help in the discussion.
Students, having familiarized themselves with the content of the “case,” discuss the problem and make a “resolution.” If you have difficulty, you can get help from a teacher. You can use the second type of help: guys from other groups can suggest their solution. For the answer they receive a token (maybe two, if the question is complex or the answer is original). At the end of the lesson, for the largest number of tokens - 10 points, those with fewer - 9 points, etc.
Students spend 5 minutes distributing roles and solving the problem.
Teacher:
So, we know why Raskolnikov committed the crime.
When was the first crime committed on earth?
(On the screen there is a slide “The Murder of Abel”)
Group 1 is working.
Contents of the “case”:
Read Bible verses.
What is the parallel to the biblical story in the novel?
(Raskolnikov also commits an unnatural, sinful act - murder).
3. What is the role of the biblical episode?
(The Bible says: God does not want the sinner to die, but to turn him and live forever. For Cain's crime, there was not punishment, but a call to repentance, but Cain did not repent and remained a criminal forever. And Raskolnikov’s story is the path to spiritual rebirth - through repentance).
4. There are several biblical lines about the punishment of Cain, and 5 chapters about the punishment of Raskolnikov. Why?
(It is not difficult to remain a criminal without repentance. And Dostoevsky wants the reader, having gone through the path of suffering and repentance with Raskolnikov, to understand that the murder of one person leads to the suicide of humanity, to the dominance of evil forces on earth, to chaos and death. I understood and did not take this path).
(The guys give their illustration “Raskolnikov kills the old money-lender” to the assistant. He attaches it to the board to the left of the portrait of Dostoevsky with the novel “Crime and Punishment.” And the illustration “The Murder of Abel” is to the right of the image of Jesus Christ and the Bible - 1st parallel ).
Teacher:
Guys, do you remember the story of the fall of our ancestors?
On the slide, the “Serpent” tempts Eve.
Group 2 is working.
Read the Bible verses Genesis 3: ….
2. How does Eve justify her sin to God?
(“The serpent” (Satan)… he deceived me, and I ate (Gen. 3:13).
3. What is the parallel of this biblical story in the novel?
(Raskolnikov also justifies himself at the end of the novel, explaining one of the reasons for the crime: “The devil led me to commit a crime”).
4. What is the lesson of comparison?
(Dostoevsky shows: it is easy to find an excuse for your sin; it is even easier to shift your sin onto another. It’s hard to imagine what will follow; it’s scary to live through these consequences. Adam and Eve remained the source of sin. And Dostoevsky gave Raskolnikov a chance to atone for his sin).
Teacher:
Slide Mary Magdalene is a sinner.
The 3rd group is working.
Case contents:
1. Read Luke 7:36*38 from the Bible about the sinner.
2. What character is the biblical sinner associated with? Why?
(With Sonya Marmeladova. This is the most attractive image in the novel. But Raskolnikov considers her a great sinner: after all, she also transgressed the moral law).
3. Read the continuation of the story of Mary Magdalene. 17:39,47,48,50.
(“The Pharisee who invited him (Jesus Christ) said to himself: “If he... knew what kind of woman is touching him, because she is a sinner.” Jesus Christ answered: “... her sins, although many of them, are forgiven her, t .k. she showed a lot of love.” Then he told her: “...Your sins are forgiven...Your faith has saved you.”
4. How does the story of the biblical sinner help us understand why Sonya, who broke the law, was forgiven, but Raskolnikov had to suffer for forgiveness?
(Sonya breaks the law out of love for her loved ones. Thanks to love and faith, she deserves forgiveness).
CONCLUSION: just as in the Bible Mary Magdalene goes from a fallen woman to a righteous woman, so in the novel Sonya goes the same way.
Assistants attach illustrations to the novel near the portrait of Dostoevsky; biblical illustrations near Kramskoy’s painting.
Group 4 is working
Slide “The Raising of Lazarus.”
Case contents:
1. Read John 11:1,2,17,23,25,39,41,43,44.
2. Which words from this legend are core?
(John 11:25 “I (them) – resurrection and life. Who manifests in me faith, even if he dies, will come to life»).
3. Who reads Raskolnikov’s legend about the resurrection of Lazarus? Why?
(Sonya wants Raskolnikov to be forgiven through faith in God).
4. What does this legend have to do with the novel?
(It echoes the fate of Raskolnikov. The main character’s room is likened to a coffin. And Lazarus was in the crypt (coffin). Sonya reads about Lazarus on the 4th day after the crime. Lazarus resurrected on the 4th day. And Raskolnikov was there all 4 days “dead” and essentially lying in a coffin, and Sonya came to save him.
The Word of God has great power. Raskolnikov believed. He repented in his heart. “Everything in him softened at once, and tears flowed. As he stood up, he fell to the ground. He knelt down in the middle of the square, bowed to the ground and kissed the dirty ground with pleasure and happiness.” Yes, those who were not afraid to commit sin should not be ashamed of repentance!)
CONCLUSION: through repentance, through true faith, even a sinner can be reborn.
Teacher:
Guys, our lesson is coming to an end. What did this lesson teach us?
Appreciate life, your own and others.
In any critical situation, turn to the Bible as the source of TRUTH.
Reject any violence and do not look for justification for it.
The novel has been read, but impressions, thoughts, and perhaps questions remain with us. Perhaps something remains unclear until the end. But the thought is awakened. And this is the main thing.
Perhaps later you will read the novel again and understand how deep this work is. And it cannot be different, since it echoes the Bible, and there are many more biblical analogies in the novel than we talked about today in class. The rest is up to you...
The teacher draws attention to the eidos - a summary drawn up on the board based on the lesson materials.
Don't kill! Ref. 12:13 “When I choose the time, I will bring justice to justice”!
A person should not replace the law and court. For premeditated murder, the Criminal Code of Ukraine provides for punishment of up to 15 years in prison or life imprisonment.
Personal Dostoevsky Bible Criminal Code
We are trying to go to God, to build churches, but not everyone has done the main thing - we have not cleansed our souls, we have not repented before everyone and everyone before everyone. Not everyone washed the blood from their souls. But temples are not built on blood. And yet we took a step. A step towards purification, towards happiness. Go to him.
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See also the work "Crime and Punishment"
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Other materials on the works of Dostoevsky F.M.
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Man in Dostoevsky's novels feels his unity with the whole world, feels his responsibility to the world. Hence the global nature of the problems posed by the writer, their universal human nature. Hence the writer’s appeal to eternal, biblical themes and ideas.
In his life, F. M. Dostoevsky often turned to the Gospel. He found in it answers to vitally important, troubling questions, borrowed individual images, symbols, and motifs from the Gospel parables, creatively processing them in his works. Biblical motifs can also be clearly seen in Dostoevsky’s novel Crime and Punishment.
Thus, the image of the main character in the novel resurrects the motive of Cain, the first killer on earth. When Cain committed murder, he became an eternal wanderer and exile in his native land.
The same thing happens with Dostoevsky’s Raskolnikov: having committed a murder, the hero feels alienated from the world around him. Raskolnikov has nothing to talk about with people, “he can’t talk about anything anymore, never and with anyone,” he “seems to have cut himself off from everyone with scissors,” his relatives seem to be afraid of him. Having confessed to the crime, he ends up in hard labor, but even there they look at him with distrust and hostility, they do not like him and avoid him, once they even wanted to kill him as an atheist.
However, Dostoevsky leaves the hero the possibility of moral rebirth, and therefore the possibility of overcoming that terrible, impassable abyss that lies between him and the world around him.
Another biblical motif in the novel is that of Egypt. In his dreams, Raskolnikov imagines Egypt, golden sand, a caravan, camels. Having met a tradesman who called him a murderer, the hero again remembers Egypt. “If you look at the hundred-thousandth line, that’s evidence for the Egyptian pyramid!” - Rodion thinks in fright. Talking about two types of people, he notices that Napoleon forgets the army in Egypt; Egypt for this commander becomes the beginning of his career. Svidrigailov also recalls Egypt in the novel, noting that Avdotya Romanovna has the nature of a great martyr, ready to live in the Egyptian Desert.
This motif has several meanings in the novel. First of all, Egypt reminds us of its ruler, Pharaoh, who was overthrown by the Lord for his pride and hardness of heart. Conscious of their “proud power,” Pharaoh and the Egyptians greatly oppressed the people of Israel who came to Egypt, not wanting to take their faith into account. Ten Egyptian plagues, sent by God to the country, could not stop the cruelty and pride of the pharaoh. And then the Lord crushed the “pride of Egypt” with the sword of the king of Babylon, destroying the Egyptian pharaohs, people, and livestock; turning the land of Egypt into a lifeless desert.
The biblical tradition here recalls the judgment of God, the punishment for self-will and cruelty. Egypt, which appeared in a dream to Raskolnikov, becomes a warning for the hero. The writer seems to constantly remind the hero how the “proud power” of the rulers, the mighty of this world, ends.
The King of Egypt compared his greatness with the greatness of the Lebanese cedar, which “flaunted the height of its growth, the length of its branches...”. “The cedars in the garden of God did not darken it; The cypresses were not equal to its branches, and the chestnuts were not the size of its branches, not a single tree in the garden of God equaled it in beauty. Therefore, this is what the Lord God said: because you have become tall in stature and have set your top among thick branches, and his heart was proud of his greatness, therefore I gave him into the hands of the ruler of the nations; he did what was right with it... And the strangers cut it down... and its branches fell over all the valleys; and its branches were broken in all the hollows of the earth...” we read in the Bible1.
Svidrigailov’s mention of the Egyptian desert, where the Great Martyr Mary of Egypt, who was once a great sinner, stayed for many years, also becomes a warning. Here the theme of repentance and humility arises, but at the same time, regret about the past.
But at the same time, Egypt reminds us of other events - it becomes the place where the Mother of God with the baby Jesus takes refuge from the persecution of King Herod (New Testament). And in this aspect, Egypt becomes for Raskolnikov an attempt to awaken humanity, humility, and generosity in his soul. Thus, the Egyptian motif in the novel also emphasizes the duality of the hero’s nature - his exorbitant pride and hardly less natural generosity.
The gospel motif of death and resurrection is associated with the image of Raskolnikov in the novel. After he commits a crime, Sonya reads to Rodion the gospel parable about the deceased and resurrected Lazarus. The hero speaks to Porfiry Petrovich about his belief in the resurrection of Lazarus.
This same motif of death and resurrection is also realized in the plot of the novel itself. This connection between Raskolnikov and the biblical Lazarus was noted by many researchers of the novel (Yu. I. Seleznev, M. S. Altman, Vl. Medvedev). Let's try to trace the development of the gospel motif in the plot of the novel.
Let's remember the plot of the parable. Not far from Jerusalem there was a village called Bethany, where Lazarus lived with his sisters, Martha and Mary. One day he fell ill, and his sisters, being in great sorrow, came to Jesus to report their brother’s illness. However, Jesus answered: “This sickness does not lead to death, but to the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Soon Lazarus died and was buried in a cave, blocking the entrance with a stone. But four days later Jesus came to Lazarus’ sisters and said that their brother would rise again: “I am the resurrection and the life; He who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live..." Jesus went to the cave and called Lazarus, and he came out, “wrapped hand and foot in graveclothes.” Since then, many Jews who saw this miracle believed in Christ.
The Lazarus motif in the novel is heard throughout the entire narrative. After committing the murder, Raskolnikov becomes a spiritual dead man, life seems to leave him. Rodion's apartment looks like a coffin. His face is deathly pale, like that of a dead man. He cannot communicate with people: those around him, with their care and bustle, make him angry and irritated. The deceased Lazar lies in a cave, the entrance to which is blocked with a stone, while Raskolnikov hides the loot under a stone in Alena Ivanovna’s apartment. His sisters, Martha and Mary, take a lively part in the resurrection of Lazarus. It is they who lead Christ to the cave of Lazarus. In Dostoevsky, Sonya gradually leads Raskolnikov to Christ. Raskolnikov returns to life, discovering his love for Sonya. This is Dostoevsky’s resurrection of the hero. In the novel we do not see Raskolnikov’s repentance, but in the finale he is potentially ready for it.
Other biblical motifs in the novel are associated with the image of Sonya Marmeladova. This heroine in “Crime and Punishment” is associated with the biblical motive of adultery, the motive of suffering for people and forgiveness, the motive of Judas.
Just as Jesus Christ accepted suffering for people, in the same way Sonya accepts suffering for her loved ones. Moreover, she is aware of all the abomination and sinfulness of her occupation and has a hard time experiencing her own situation.
“It would be fairer,” Raskolnikov exclaims, “a thousand times fairer and wiser it would be to dive straight into the water and finish it all at once!”
- What will happen to them? - Sonya asked weakly, looking at him painfully, but at the same time, as if not at all surprised by his proposal. Raskolnikov looked at her strangely.
He read everything in one look from her. Therefore, she really had already had this thought herself. Perhaps many times she seriously thought in despair about how to end it all at once, and so seriously that now she was almost not surprised at his proposal. She didn’t even notice the cruelty of his words... But he fully understood the monstrous pain to which she had been tormented, and for a long time now, by the thought of her dishonorable and shameful position. What, he thought, could still stop her determination to end it all at once? And then he fully understood what these poor little orphans and this pitiful, half-crazed Katerina Ivanovna, with her consumption and banging her head against the wall, meant to her.”
We know that Sonya was pushed along this path by Katerina Ivanovna. However, the girl does not blame her stepmother, but, on the contrary, defends her, understanding the hopelessness of the situation. “Sonya got up, put on a scarf, put on a burnusik and left the apartment, and came back at nine o’clock. She came and went straight to Katerina Ivanovna, and silently laid out thirty rubles on the table in front of her.”
Here one can feel the subtle motive of Judas, who sold Christ for thirty pieces of silver. It is characteristic that Sonya also takes out the last thirty kopecks from Marmeladov. The Marmeladov family, to a certain extent, “betrays” Sonya. This is exactly how Raskolnikov views the situation at the beginning of the novel. The head of the family, Semyon Zakharych, is helpless in life, like a small child. He cannot overcome his destructive passion for wine and perceives everything that happens fatally, as an inevitable evil, without trying to fight fate and resist circumstances. As V. Ya. Kirpotin noted, Marmeladov is passive, submissive to life and fate. However, the motive of Judas does not sound clearly in Dostoevsky: for the misfortunes of the Marmeladov family, the writer blames life itself, capitalist Petersburg, indifferent to the fate of the “little man,” rather than Marmeladov and Katerina Ivanovna.
Marmeladov, who had a destructive passion for wine, introduces the motif of communion into the novel. Thus, the writer emphasizes the original religiosity of Semyon Zakharovich, the presence in his soul of true faith, what Raskolnikov so lacks.
Another biblical motif in the novel is that of demons and devilry. This motif is already set in the landscapes of the novel, when Dostoevsky describes the unbearably hot days of St. Petersburg. “The heat outside was unbearable again; at least a drop of rain all these days. Again dust, brick, mortar, again the stench from the shops and taverns... The sun flashed brightly in his eyes, so that it became painful to look at, and his head was completely spinning... "
Here the motif of the midday demon arises, when a person falls into a rage under the influence of the scorching sun, an overly hot day. In David’s song of praise, this demon is called “the plague that devastates at midday”: “You will not fear the terror of the night, the arrow that flies by day, the plague that stalks in the darkness, the plague that devastates at midday.”
In Dostoevsky's novel, Raskolnikov's behavior often reminds us of the behavior of a demoniac. So, at some point the hero seems to realize that a demon is pushing him to kill. Unable to find an opportunity to take an ax from the owner’s kitchen, Raskolnikov decides that his plans have collapsed. But quite unexpectedly, he finds an ax in the janitor's room and is again strengthened in his decision. ““It’s not reason, it’s demon!” he thought, smiling strangely.”
Raskolnikov resembles a demon possessed even after the murder he committed. “One new, irresistible sensation took possession of him more and more almost every minute: it was some kind of endless, almost physical, disgust for everything he encountered and around him, stubborn, angry, hateful. Everyone he met was disgusting to him—their faces, their gait, their movements were disgusting. He would simply spit on someone, would bite, it seems, if someone spoke to him...”
The hero’s feelings during his conversation with Zametovo are also characteristic, when they are both looking in the newspapers for information about the murder of Alena Ivanovna. Realizing that he is suspected, Raskolnikov, however, does not feel fear and continues to “tease” Zametnov. “And in an instant he remembered with extreme clarity of sensation one recent moment when he stood outside the door with an ax, the lock was jumping, they were cursing and breaking in behind the door, and he suddenly wanted to shout at them, quarrel with them, stick out his tongue at them, tease them , laugh, laugh, laugh, laugh!”
The motif of laughter accompanies Raskolnikov throughout the novel. The same laughter is present in the hero’s dreams (the dream about Mikolka and the dream about the old money-lender). B. S. Kondratiev notes that. laughter in Raskolnikov’s dream is “an attribute of the invisible presence of Satan.” It seems that the laughter that surrounds the hero in reality and the laughter that sounds within him have the same meaning.
The motif of the demon is also developed in the novel by Svidrigailov, who always seems to be tempting Rodion. As Yu. Karyakin notes, Svidrigailov is “a kind of devil of Raskolnikov.” The first appearance of this hero to Raskolnikov is in many ways similar to the appearance of the devil to Ivan Karamazov. Svidrigalov appears as if out of delirium; he seems to Rodion to be a continuation of a nightmare about the murder of an old woman.
The motif of demons appears in Raskolnikov’s last dream, which he saw already in hard labor. Rodion imagines that “the whole world is condemned to be a victim of some terrible, unheard of and unprecedented pestilence.” People’s bodies were inhabited by special spirits gifted with intelligence and will—trichinae. And people, becoming infected, became possessed and crazy, considering the only true, true ones, only their truth, their convictions, their faith, and neglecting the truth, convictions and faith of others. These disagreements led to wars, famines, and fires. People abandoned their crafts, agriculture, they “stabbed and cut themselves,” “killed each other in some senseless rage.” The ulcer grew and moved further and further. Only a few people, pure and chosen, destined to start a new race of people and a new life, to renew and cleanse the earth, could be saved throughout the world. However, no one has ever seen these people.
Raskolnikov’s last dream echoes the Gospel of Matthew, where the prophecies of Jesus Christ are revealed that “nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom,” that there will be wars, “famines, pestilences and earthquakes,” that “the love of many will grow cold,” people They will hate each other, “they will betray each other” - “he who endures to the end will be saved.”
The motive for the execution of Egypt also arises here. One of the plagues sent by the Lord to Egypt to humble the pride of Pharaoh was a pestilence. In Raskolnikov’s dream, the pestilence receives a concrete embodiment, as it were, in the form of trichins that inhabit the bodies and souls of people. Trichinas here are nothing more than demons that have entered people.
We see this motif quite often in biblical parables. Thus, in the Gospel of Luke we read how the Lord heals a demoniac in Capernaum. “There was a man in the synagogue who had an unclean spirit of demons, and he cried out with a loud voice: leave him alone; What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? You have come to destroy us; I know You, who You are, the Holy One of God. Jesus rebuked him, saying: Be silent and come out of him. And the demon, turning him around in the middle of the synagogue, came out of him without harming him in the least.”
In the Gospel of Matthew we read about the healing of a mute demoniac in Israel. When the demon was cast out of him, he began to speak. There is also a well-known parable about how demons, leaving a man, entered a herd of pigs, which rushed into the lake and drowned. The demoniac was healed and became completely healthy.
For Dostoevsky, demonism becomes not a physical disease, but a disease of the spirit, pride, selfishness and individualism.
Thus, in the novel “Crime and Punishment” we find a synthesis of a wide variety of biblical motifs. This writer’s appeal to eternal themes is natural. As V. Kozhinov notes, “Dostoevsky’s hero is constantly turned to the entire immense life of humanity in its past, present and future, he constantly and directly relates himself to it, all the time measures himself by it.”
Christian images and motifs in the novel by F.M. Dostoevsky "Crime and Punishment"
I. Introduction
Dostoevsky was a Christian, Orthodox, deeply religious man. From these positions he approached the problems of his time. Therefore, the author’s position in any of his novels, including Crime and Punishment, cannot be correctly understood without taking into account Christian images and motives.
II. Main part.
1. The plot of the novel itself is based on the fact that Raskolnikov commits a mortal sin, breaking one of God’s most important commandments - “thou shalt not kill,” and then atones for his guilt through suffering, repentance and purification.
2. Sonya also commits a mortal sin, and her image correlates with the Gospel image of the “harlot.” This is a complex image associated not only with the concept of sin, but also with the idea of Christian charity. In the Gospel, Christ forgives the harlot who sincerely believed in him. Christ also commanded mercy to people, saying about the harlot: “He who is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” The attitude of various characters in the novel towards Sonya serves as a kind of test of their Christian spirit (Raskolnikov sits her next to her sister, Dunya, Pulcheria Alexandrovna, Razumikhin “do not throw stones at her,” and, for example, Luzhin does just that).
Sin, oddly enough, connects Sonya and Raskolnikov: “a murderer and a harlot who came together to read the eternal book,” that is, the Gospel. But there is a fundamental difference between these two criminals: Raskolnikov does not believe in God and therefore cannot believe in redemption; he often falls into despair. Sonya, on the contrary, says about herself: “What would I be without God?” Therefore, the path of redemption through suffering and good deeds is open to her; there is no despair in her.
3. A very important gospel motif is the motif of suffering. Suffering atones not only for personal sin, but also for the sins of humanity, therefore the idea of “suffering” is strong in a Russian Orthodox person - simply, without any guilt (Mikolka; the prisoner about whom Porfiry Petrovich tells Raskolnikov in their last conversation).
4. The image of the cross, a symbol of the “passion of Christ,” is closely connected with the motives of suffering and redemption. The development of this image in the novel is quite complex. There is no cross on Raskolnikov - in Russia during Dostoevsky’s time, this is an infrequent case and says a lot. Sonya puts the cross on Raskolnikov, bless him for his suffering. She puts her cross on him, then makes them like brother and sister in Christ, and she herself wears the cross of Lizaveta, her spiritual sister, who was killed by Raskolnikov.
5. For Dostoevsky, it was very important to show the possibility of the resurrection of any person, even a criminal, through turning to God. Therefore, one of the most important gospel motifs and images is the resurrection of Lazarus. Sonya reads the corresponding passage to Raskolnikov at his request, but even earlier, in Raskolnikov’s first conversation with Porfiry Petrovich, this motive already appears, and the last time it is mentioned is at the very end of the epilogue.
III. Conclusion
Christian motifs and images are an important part of the ideological content of Crime and Punishment, directly expressing Dostoevsky’s author’s position.
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- Christian motives in the novel crime and punishment
- Christian images and motifs in the novel crime and punishment
- peasant motives in the novel crime and punishment
The Christian element in the novel is enhanced by numerous analogies and associations with biblical stories. There is an excerpt from the Gospel of Lazarus. The death of Lazar and his resurrection is a prototype of Raskolnikov's fate after the crime until his complete revival. This episode shows all the hopelessness of death and all its irreparability, and an incomprehensible miracle - the miracle of resurrection. Relatives mourn the death of Lazar, but with their tears they will not revive the lifeless corpse. And then comes the One who goes beyond the boundaries of the possible, the One who conquers death, the One who resurrects an already decaying body! Only Christ could resurrect Lazarus, only Christ can resurrect the morally dead Raskolnikov.
By including gospel lines in the novel, Dostoevsky already reveals to readers the future fate of Raskolnikov, since the connection between Raskolnikov and Lazar is obvious. “Sonya, reading the line: “...for four days, as in the tomb,” energetically struck the word “four.” It is no coincidence that Dostoevsky makes this remark, because the reading about Lazarus takes place exactly four days after the murder of the old woman. And the “four days” of Lazarus in the tomb become equivalent to the four days of Raskolnikov’s moral death. And Martha’s words to Jesus: “Lord! If You had been here, my brother would not have died! - are also significant for Raskolnikov, that is, if Christ were present in the soul, then he would not have committed a crime, he would not have died morally.
The connection between Raskolnikov and Lazar is not interrupted throughout the entire novel. Lazarus's coffin takes on a special meaning in the fact that Raskolnikov's closet is repeatedly called a coffin; the stuffiness of Lazarus' grave cave is comparable to the omnipresent stuffiness of St. Petersburg. The cave in which Lazarus is buried is closed with a stone, and it is under the stone that the precious things and the purse of the murdered old woman lie. And when Sonya reads the command of Christ: “Take away the stone,” it seems that for Raskolnikov they sound differently: “Repent, realize your crime, and you will be resurrected!”
The novel contains a parable about Marfa - a woman who has been focused on vanity all her life and misses the most important thing (Marfa Petrovna, Svidrigailov’s wife, has been fussing all her life, deprived of the main principle). “As they continued their journey, He (Jesus Christ) came to a certain village; here a woman named Martha took him into her home; she had a sister named Mary, who sat at the feet of Jesus and listened to His word. Martha was taking care of a great treat, and came up and said: Lord! or do you not need that my sister left me alone to serve? tell her to help me. Jesus answered and said to her: Martha! Marfa! you care and fuss about a lot of things. And only one thing is needed. Mary took the good part, which will not be taken away from her.” New Testament, Luke.
The novel also contains a parable about a publican and a Pharisee: “The Pharisee prayed like this: God! I thank You that I am not like other people, robbers, offenders, adulterers. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of everything I acquire. The publican did not even dare to raise his eyes to heaven, he said: God! be merciful to me, a sinner! I tell you that this one went to his house justified more than the other: for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Having developed the idea of two types of people, Raskolnikov exalts himself, likening himself to God, for he allows “blood according to his conscience.” But “whoever exalts himself will be humbled.” And, having committed a crime, the hero understands that he is not able to bear the cross of “the bearer of a new idea.”
The main character of the novel is associated with the parable of Cain, which tells how Cain and his brother Abel brought gifts to the Lord. But Cain's gifts were not accepted by the Lord. And then Cain got angry and killed his brother, for which the Lord cursed him. The renunciation of God began with the fact that Raskolnikov and Cain became upset, angry, and began to look for themselves outside of God: “a lonely person, rejected from conciliarity, loses faith and falls into the grave sin of self-deification.” Egorov V.N., Value priorities of F.M. Dostoevsky; training manual, 1994, p. 48. They received warnings. Raskolnikov: meeting with Marmeladov, who talks about the Last Judgment and forgiveness of the humble; a dream in which Mikolka is shown finishing off a horse, and in which he (Rodya - the child) is shown to be compassionate. The dream shows all the abomination of murder. To Cain: “If you do not do good, sin lies at the door; he attracts you to himself.” Bible. Raskolnikov, like Cain, is protected from persecution and excommunicated from human society.
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